Eskisehir

Two weeks ago Roy had to travel 250 km west to the city of Eskisehir with Ufuk, the junior member of his team to do an inspection.  Because they took the train, I was able to tag along.  (If they drive with a project driver in contracted vehicles, I cannot go, not being a Bechtel employee).  The train ride was very nice; clean, quiet and super fast. The trip lasted 1.5 hours and reached speeds of 250 km/hr (150 mph!).  The cost of a round trip ticket per person was 19 lira (about $9).

train station 

Ufuk Dal

Eskisehir is a university town, home to both Eskisehir Osmangazi University and Anadolu University, which, according to my friend Wikipedia, has the largest student enrollment in the world.   Eskisehir is also the home of the Turkish Air Force.

Eskisehir or San Antonio Texas?  

Old Town 

During the Ottoman Empire the tulip was considered a symbol of abundance and indulgence.  The era during which the Ottoman Empire was the wealthiest is often called the Tulip Era.

A mosque in the Old Town.













Do you remember this pipe from the movie National Treasure?

It is carved out of a soft white mineral called sepiolite or more popularly known as Meerschaum, which is actually German for "foam of the sea", because amazingly it is sometimes found floating on the Black Sea.  It is mined near Eskisehir and is only found there and a few other places in the world in much smaller quantities.

When smoked, the pipes will change color.  The carving can be quite elaborate, as you can see.















The friendly shop keepers let me try to carve and it was very easy, only a bit tougher than carving a bar of soap.

There were many unhappy Turk (Tatar) Crimean immigrants in the area and we saw several of these signs as they object to the Russian domination of what was once their homeland (they're a minority even among the Ukrainians).

I think it is referring to Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Stalin and the last line translates: and now Putin.
We came home in the evening with a bag full of souvenirs (though Eskisehir isn't really a tourist town) and wet from the all-day rainstorm (inevitable during our outings. remember that "curse?").  Another fun trip!  Missing the 6:15pm train only added to the adventure.  Thank goodness there was room on the 7:15pm train.